15 March 2017

Sandbox - 15mar17

["Which is more important: Building more dams – or protecting the lives of millions of folks living below the dams we already have?" asks Darrell Berkheimer in today's Union (here). That's an OR question?! The gentleman attempts to explain California's dams to us and cites the horrible danger they all pose because "high hazard" dams abound here and across the country. "A high hazard rating means at least one or more persons could die if a dam were to fail." And therefore we shouldn't build any more of them in California and take down those we have. The socialist mind is incapable of such infrastructure trade-offs, especially if the involved utility has multiple attributes like cost, safety, agricultural support, flood control, ... . Our highways are also a critical component of our infrastructure that regularly takes over 30,000 lives a year and injures over 2,200,000 more, taking their comparative ratings to a 'hyper hazard' level. Should we also abolish our highways? gjr]

Comments

........sniff......sniff.....hmm?

Smells a little bit like 2001.....with just a hint of 2007/2008 added for seasoning!

“We’re starting to get a lot of résumés from [software engineers at] companies where the business model isn’t working and they can’t get funding, so they are closing down or cutting back,” said Mark Dinan, a software recruiter based in the Bay Area, who keeps track of companies’ hirings and firings.

Not a Lefty to be seen today. Get home from my visit with a needle from hell looking to take it out on one of "them",,, and nutt'n.. No opinion to shred.. At least someone is keeping the "jon's" memory alive. Sometimes it's a blast to whip that dead horse.

I hear the LIBS are getting ready for a town hall? I heard a GREAT definition of what that is today. " Recreational outrage". Just like that judge that ruled against the second travel ban.
It was "OK" when "O" did it. Trump dusted off the EO that "O" used and resubmitted the exact words. But since it was Trump, Nope,, no way.

Holy Smokes. I thought the Resist! Crowd was supposed to come over here every darn day and call Trump horrible names and by extension, call us names. But nooooo. They petered out after a few short months. They pledged, vowed, and solemnly sweared to fight the rope-a-dope every single day for the next 4 years. What a bunch of pussies.

Yo #NeverTrumpsters, a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. Losers you were and losers you be. Sucks to be you.

Kreeg Antwoord: [ coughing ] You see, it all started on August 20th, 1977, when NASA put up a recording of the sounds of Earth on Voyager I. A two-hour long tape included, uh, natural sounds of animals, a French poem by Gaugliere, a passage from the Koran in Arabic, messages from President Carter, United Nations Secretary Kurt Waldheim, music -- everything from classical to Chuck Berry.

Maxine Universe: Uh -- and you're saying that the, uh -- another civilization has found the tape?

Cocuwa: Yes. They've sent us a message that actually proves it. It may be just four simple words, but it is the FIRST positive proof that other intelligent beings inhabit the universe.

Maxine Universe: Uh -- what are the four words, Cocuwa?

Cocuwa: The four words that came to us from outer space -- the FOUR words that will appear on the cover of Time Magazine next week -- are: [ he holds up the magazine" "Send More Chuck Berry".

Oxford Reference defines cultural appropriation as the “taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance.”

As coaches broke up the fight, Figueroa attempted to punch at the Maine students and “was screaming swears and racial slurs,” according to court documents.

So, let's see if I got this right. The defendant demands that the visiting players from Maine remove their hair braids. When her demand is rebuffed, she screams "swears and racial slurs". Some people do not take 'no' for an answer gracefully. Control freaks are all that way.
So, help me out. Did the coed with the Hispanic name scream and hurl racial epithets because the visiting team was wearing black hairstyles? What kind of hair braids do Latina women wear? Can a Latina wear black hair braids, but others cannot? I am cornfused.
Guess I miss the days of saying "Hi bro, dig your fro." Maybe the Hampshire College student woke up wondering what to be offended by today.

Now the college has to come up with a way to defend their Latina student after she yelled racial slurs at others. Don't think more Sociology classes is the answer. :)

Don't know where you got 600ish. There were over 500 chairs and the rest was standing room only. The fire permit allowed 1000 people in that building configuration. Remember po' ol' PE, its just the Union after all. ;-)

"Blah, blah, blah Cross. Anyone who listened live knows what happened. Ya right tilting, a couple of dozen people in a room configured for over a thousand, that's sure stacking the deck. There were over 500 chairs and the standing room was not even fully utilized. So democracy in action now = rude and insulting mixed with group think on the left. ;-)

My guess was 1200. And as I said, the liberals were there as a organized effort as they are across the land. Good for them. But will it hold? We will see. And the left is not satisfied until they have every seat in California. That is fine but look at Venezuela for the results.

Regarding polls. Trump is President and like the polls prior to the election, he could care less about their results. As I don't.

And where in that do you find '600ish'? Those two statements are almost exactly the same ya po' ol' pollhead PE. You were sitting in the front corner and couldn't even see the back of the room. The fire marshals never closed the doors so we never hit the permit limit. DUH! Reading and not comprehending again there po' ol' PE. ;-)

That is funny that Paul Emery never talked to the Fire Marshall. Usually the lefty reporters are always saying how many Indivisible women were on the Mall in DC and how goofy Trump is for putting out his concerns about the numbers. So my guess is Paul emery is not happy with the turnout numbers.

You can go with whatever you want ya po' ol' pollhead. The fire permit is what it is and they never closed the doors. But you are an aficionado of fakenews so be my guest and perpetuate fakenews mr fakenewsman. ;-)

It's possible.....I mean you yourself seem to suffer numerous "lapses"......like the specifics of the Muslim immigrant/refugee issue about which you spoke so sympathetically and powerfully over the weekend.

I could be wrong though......you may be working the problem diligently as this is typed instead of merely using these poor unfortunates as props in another progressive virtue signaling exercise!

PaulE 1130am - The limit to "Trump's slide" is zero. And you have been telling one and all that Trump's rush to the bottom has been going on now from when? the election, swearing in, nomination, ...?? With what you report, what has kept him from hitting bottom a long time ago?

BillT 535am - Good catch on the Norway crime rate story Mr Tozer. What simply passes my understanding is the social IQ of people like the quoted Norwegian professor who blames Norwegian women for inciting their own rapes because they have not conformed to the mores and values of the arriving Muslims and changed how they dress in their "new multi-cultural" environment. Can anyone suggest a better description than 'butt stupid' which definitely no longer serves in the present case?

PaulE 1156am - So all this hyperventilating multiple times daily comes to Trump's approval having gone down from 55% to 45% during his time in office, with no mention from you that concurrently his approval has gone up from 39% to 45%. And that is it??! that is the horrendous plunge that you have been ballyhooing in these pages all these weeks??!! (months actually, since you started way before the inauguration).

Do you have any advice for how a reader of your gleeful denigrations would properly estimate Trump's current standing in the dis/approval poll? With no numbers, until now, I submit that a reasonable interpretation of your non-numerical reports would have one conclude that Trump's approval rating would now be around the 3% level. I don't know, maybe you journalists have a different take on how people interpret what you report.

George you write "his approval has gone up from 39% to 45%." Where did you get this number? Not from Gallup which I linked, It never started at 55% George. It started at 45% the difference between approval and disapproval went from dead even to -16. Please explain where you got your numbers.

PaulE 1249pm - You're right Paul, I misread the order of the approval numbers. Both started at 45 with the approval dropping to 39 and the disapproval going up to 55. But my point still stands about the actual changes compared to your breathless reports of apparent catastrophic changes.

This is all over the news especially in Europe. Way to go guys in reassuring our European allies.

"U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to skip an April 5-6 meeting of NATO foreign ministers for a U.S. visit by the Chinese president and will travel to Russia later in the month, U.S. officials said on Monday, a step allies may see as putting Moscow's concerns ahead of theirs."

Even Fox is bailing on Trumps supporters. This was the guy Trump threw under the train after using his quote. This guy (Trump) has no friends.

"Fox News pulled senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano off the air indefinitely following growing controversy over his dubious claim that Barack Obama used the British intelligence services to wiretap Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential election, the LA Times reports.

Napolitano made the claim last Tuesday, in an interview with “Fox and Friends.”

Since po' ol' party parrot PE is having a TRUDS eruption that clouds his recollection it was well over a month ago that SecState Tillerson visited NATO/Germany as his first official trip and then there was SecDef Mattis's trip. Oh well, facts never stop the party parrots bovine scatology. ;-)

I spent much of this past week in Washington – talking with friends still in government, former colleagues, high-ranking Democrats, a few Republican pundits, and some members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. It was my first visit to our nation’s capital since Trump became president.

My verdict:

1. Washington is more divided, angry, bewildered, and fearful – than I’ve ever seen it.

3. Republicans (and their patrons in big business) no longer believe Trump will give them cover to do what they want to do. They’re becoming afraid Trump is genuinely nuts, and he’ll pull the party down with him.

Was going to happen anyway....might as well have fun with it!

4. Many Republicans are also angry at Paul Ryan, whose replacement bill for Obamacare is considered by almost everyone on Capitol Hill to be incredibly dumb.

Not going to pass it seems.....the dems will get to wear Odummy care for another couple of election cycles.

5. I didn’t talk with anyone inside the White House, but several who have had dealings with it called it a cesspool of intrigue and fear. Apparently everyone working there hates and distrusts everyone else.

This is funny from a guy who served in the Clinton administration

6. The Washington foreign policy establishment – both Republican and Democrat – is deeply worried about what’s happening to American foreign policy, and the worldwide perception of America being loony and rudderless. They think Trump is legitimizing far-right movements around the world.

Sad....seems like Paul Emery isn't the only frightened old man out there.

7. Long-time civil servants are getting ready to bail. If they’re close to retirement they’re already halfway out the door. Many in their 30s and 40s are in panic mode.

Really....you say this like it's a bad thing!

8. Republican pundits think Bannon is even more unhinged than Trump, seeking to destroy democracy as we’ve known it.

See item 6.

9. Despite all this, no one I talked with thought a Trump impeachment likely, at least not any time soon – unless there’s a smoking gun showing Trump’s involvement in Russia’s intrusion into the election.

Sorry Paul......still president!

10. Many people asked, bewilderedly, “how did this [Trump] happen?” When I suggest it had a lot to do with the 35-year-long decline of incomes of the bottom 60 percent; the growing sense, ever since the Wall Street bailout, that the game is rigged; and the utter failure of both Republicans and Democrats to reverse these trends – they gave me blank stares.

Funny that you expected anything else inside the imperial bubble.

....and as always.....stay tuned for more of the comedy stylings of little Bobby Reich!

I would have asked the Department heads since the NYT reported nine former and current White House "sources" as the ones who leaked information (Jan 13 and Jan 20, both dates which Obama/Lynch were still in office)....which former and current White House operatives have been submitted to lie detector tests?

Which members of the NIA, CIA, White House, and Justice Department of the 10-20 personnel mentioned that had access to the leaked Intel concerning the Flynn leaks and Presidential phone calls have been questioned? Which have been given lie detector tests, a routine and standard practice given to employees at the CIA and NSA? Which of the 10-20 humans that had access to the classified Intel have been interrogated?

Finally, I would have asked, "Are you, Mr. Comey and Admiral Rogers, the source of the leaks?"

So far we know of as today, only one CRIMINAL activity that has occured in this Russian-Trump Campaign investigation: leaked information, a serious felony. What Intel gathering methods were used since July, 2016 to used to investigate the Trump campaign's any and all contacts with the dirty Rooskies? Was wiretapping used? What exactly were the methods used to investigate Trump's campaign communications with Russian agents since July, 2016. Did this investigation start before or after the day HRC received her party's nomination? Before or after the day Obama endorsed Hillary for President?, lol.

I could go on and on. Tell you what. Gather all the 10-20 people who could be the leakers together in a room and give me 30 minutes and I will tell ya who the leaker(s) are. Easy. Now, I will end with a pic rather than go on and on.

While I'm generally against nepotism, and this certainly qualifies, I can see the point in this case.

When fighting the Deep State and not possessing a particularly integrated power base, who do you choose for close associates? Family and a few trusted staff members. Bobby Kennedy didn't become Attorney General because of his good looks. I doubt that the Conway appointment is a reward so much as inserting loyalty (and an ear) into the national security state.

In a world where the chief of the FBI is quite rich (and didn't receive unearned wealth the way that it typically comes, inheritance) and FBI officials' wives get really large sums of money for political campaigns, the fix is in in a thousand ways. Breaking the iron rice bowl results in a lot of enemies.

If anyone want to see how our elected politicians are devoid and ignorant of The Constitution, simply watch Di-Fi and the Dems grandstanding speeches/ statements at the SCOTUS hearings yesterday. All the things Wi-Fi mentioned (living document) were done by activist judges, not the Constitution. No, Diane, the Constitution did not bar women from voting or equal rights. The 14th and 5th and even the 4th Amendments works just fine and does not need a word to be changed.

Many cases that have been precedent and considered carved in stone (like Roe vs Wade) have been reviewed and some even overturned. Dread Scott comes to mind. Segregation was not the result of the Constitution, Ms. Di-Fi. It was the result of activist judges. Noticed she failed to mention FDR's interment camps and activist judges' decisions under Wilson. What an idiot. Talk about ignorance....

As a complete aside, I was just musing about how you'll see an organized character and intellectual assassination of David Gelernter if he gets the science advisor gig. The Green Libertarians don't take prisoners.